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OK guys, the time has come. Decisions, decisions. I had a great 8 years and ~170K miles (bought her used in '05 with ~30K miles) with my '02 WRX Wagon.

So in all she's 11 years old with ~200K miles, but she's really on her last legs. She still drives strong, but she's not doing so great. If she sits more than 2 days smoke comes billowing outta the hood when she get's to temp. Also I can never drive with the vent to "fresh air" b/c it's not-so-fresh.

She has a spot of rust in the rear quarter panel wheel well where the bumper cover meets the fender. Also, my windshield is almost split in half by a crack. It kinda looks like the Superman S curl. Last time I checked, she burns about 1QT of oil every 2K miles, and I change her oil with 10W-30 synthetic every 4-5K miles.

I bought a '10 G37xS which get's about the same MPG as my Subie, but I don't wanna put the miles on the new car yet. So, if anything if I do sell my Subie I will want to replace her with a econo/commuter car (i.e. Civic, Corolla, etc). I'm wondering if it's worth putting money into my Subie and fix all the leaks and burning and stuff OR just sell her and take the money that I would've used to fix her up to buy a econo/commuter car? Basically what it comes down to is how much will it cost to fix'er up...if it's like $1K it might be worth it...b/c I don't see buying a used commuter for that much. But if it's closer to $3-$5K then I will probably sell the Subie and find a Civic or something.

What do you guys think? I'll update anymore "issues" my Subie when/if I remember them. Any and all opinions will help. I will miss her because I've had some great time's with her. This is THE longest I've ever held onto a car. The 2nd place car was my '97 E36 M3 with 100K miles; every month she was in the shop getting something fixed, she had to go, but I miss her too. But now I have the G, It's not love, but she's growing on me. It's just that wonky 7 speed transmission! If they can just fix that I'd love it!

Edited for easier reading....lol.....

Trade the G for a newer WRX/STI or a new one. Sell the WRX and buy a beater.

Trade the G for a newer WRX/STI or a new one. Sell the WRX and buy a beater.

Sounds like your WRX had a nice haul.

Thanks! I was just gonna do that....I'm sure there were plenty of grammatical errors too...

I got the G b/c I needed a "grown-up" car. So wasn't really looking into getting another WRX or STi. I was looking to get a Legacy 2.5GT, but the G was too good of a deal to pass up! Was also looking at the '10+ Lexus IS-F but decided to wait till they go down in price when the new ones come out...Then the AWD G will be the daily driver and the IS-F the weekend warrior. But I'm really worrying about the longevity of my Subbie...And I've already started modding the G...She does haul ass for such a heavy car...that's the one thing that that I noticed btwn the Subbie and G...the Subbie is so much easier to toss around...So I'm working on the G's suspension first.

Figure out if it's worth it to you. There's a sentimental value that people apply to their vehicles. Maybe a few extra thousand is worth it to some. Maybe not.

That's what I'm asking. Is it worth it? If it costs like $3K+ to fix my Subbie it might not be worth it...I'm sure my car is worth it's weight in parts...It might be worth soemthing to someone that wants to gut her and build a track car..the drivetrain is still solid and one of the reasons I don't wanna get rid of her...I guess I'll need to take her to my shop and have them give me an estimate...

I never factor sentimental value into the cost of any of my cars. That actully irks me when people do that....Also people that sink all this money into modding the car and expect they will get it back when they sell it. You either will sel the car for the cost of your mods or the value of your car without the mods...You ain't gonna get both. Save all your stock parts, when you wanna sell, return it back to stock and sell your mods a la carte...

Having another car to "save" the good car is stupid and financially stupid unless the good car happens to have a prancing horse on the side and costs $3k for a simple tune up.

I know a "good car" when I see it and no Infinity fits that description.

With the miles you've put on the Subaru, I expect you'll continue to drive a lot. That being the case, when you are done with the car, you are competing with scrap steel for what you can get for it, so why pay twice for insurance, twice for taxes. Just drive the Infinity.

If you MUST have 2 cars, the other should be a LotusLamborghiniFerrariPaganiAstonMartin.

Having another car to "save" the good car is stupid and financially stupid unless the good car happens to have a prancing horse on the side and costs $3k for a simple tune up.

I know a "good car" when I see it and no Infinity fits that description.

With the miles you've put on the Subaru, I expect you'll continue to drive a lot. That being the case, when you are done with the car, you are competing with scrap steel for what you can get for it, so why pay twice for insurance, twice for taxes. Just drive the Infinity.

If you MUST have 2 cars, the other should be a LotusLamborghiniFerrariPaganiAstonMartin.

It's not to "save" the good car...WRX wagon is my daily beater..I can strap a tree to the top..throw my mountain bikes on the back...put the back seat down and thrtow anything into it. I just can't take her on any long road trips..the G I can reliably take on road trips. Also I pay amlmost nothing on insurance or taxes...basically it's WORTH keeping the Subbie iof I can get it fixed for cheap...somethings are worth more b/c it of it's practicality than it's worth in "scrap metal...for example...I knew a woman who has an autistic son. She had an early 80's Mercury Sable/Ford Taurus. This was her sole form of transportation. It had only ~50K miles on it and it was already ~15 years old...car was in great condition but worth squat. She was in a car accident and the car's front ds fender and maybe the axle was damaged, still driveable..Her insurance totaled it and wanted to give her the "value" of her car..which was like $1500...To her this car, which enabled her to take her autistic son to and from classes and the Dr's office, is WORTH a lot more to her than what a measily $1500 could have bought her....And THIS is what I mean about "worth." My WRX is priceless in it's abilities.....The cost of owing my Subbie is well worth it...granted it's not even that much as you inferred....Psst..Insurance for both my cars is ~$100 more per year w/ the Subbie as my primary car, than if I had ONLY the Infiniti, since it will become my primary car if I didn't have my Subbie. So i think having the Subbie as my daily driver for ~$100 extra a year is well worth it....

So I have to say your logic is quite illogical.... If you can pay to play..then why not have two cars? Is it bad to have a Honda Civic to save gas and a truck to pull the boat? The civic sure ain't gonna pull a 26' Trophy! So yeah..two cars is pretty logical to me...And seirously a Lotus? And if I were to be able afford a Lamborghini, or Ferrari, or Aston...I sure the hell would probably have more than TWO cars!

BTW, how would you know about my financial situation anyway? And to call it stupid on no info what-so-ever is pretty stupid initself. B/c the IS-F was outta my budget? Or I'm thinking $3K is too much to spend on fixing my Subbie? It's called a budget for a reason...even if one can afford something more expensive, one can decide to budget a certain amount towards it....and deciding what to do with the Subbie is a good logical exercise in the pros-n-cons thinking.

How about a small trailer and a tow hitch on the Infinity? This is an answer I use very often for people who need a practical vehicle but also want a fun vehicle. Did you know that there's even a company that makes hitches for Elises?

If you can pay to play and have multiple cars, then....ok. It doesn't mean that you HAVE to have 2 cars, right? From a purely financial point, I guess you would want to do a full analysis of what the costs are. I've done this, figured out that the extra vehicle is a stupid thing to keep and kept it anyways. That's fine.

If the Subaru is still running but with issues, then....I don't know.....put down on paper what each issue is that you might fix. Add up the expected cost. Are you willing to spend that? I'll assume that you're maybe carrying only liability insurance, thus cheap. Do you have to pay a yearly local tax (property or exise)? What about registration costs?

If you have a boat, how many times do you use it? Is it cheaper to pay someone to tow it to the lake when you want to use it? What would it cost to just go rent a boat instead, if your use is low. You'd have to winterize it and insure it and register it and have that huge truck to tow it. Unless you sell it and the truck and rent the boat when you want to. (what I did, by the way).

If you can afford a Lamborghini, does that mean that you have to buy a Lamborghini (my son says yes). I say no, you don't. That way there's money for retirement and to put the kids through college after finding a loophole where the money isn't countable on the FAFSA but still accessable if needed.

In short (too late).....you are the best judge for what's best for YOU. If you decide to keep the Subaru because that's what you decide you want to do, then good. If you decide to sell it and buy a Subaru Baja, fine. If you sell off and put on a trailer hitch and pick up a small trailer, bravo. If you keep both cars and pick up an Aventador, Yay.

How about a small trailer and a tow hitch on the Infinity? This is an answer I use very often for people who need a practical vehicle but also want a fun vehicle. Did you know that there's even a company that makes hitches for Elises?

If you can pay to play and have multiple cars, then....ok. It doesn't mean that you HAVE to have 2 cars, right? From a purely financial point, I guess you would want to do a full analysis of what the costs are. I've done this, figured out that the extra vehicle is a stupid thing to keep and kept it anyways. That's fine.

If the Subaru is still running but with issues, then....I don't know.....put down on paper what each issue is that you might fix. Add up the expected cost. Are you willing to spend that? I'll assume that you're maybe carrying only liability insurance, thus cheap. Do you have to pay a yearly local tax (property or exise)? What about registration costs?

If you have a boat, how many times do you use it? Is it cheaper to pay someone to tow it to the lake when you want to use it? What would it cost to just go rent a boat instead, if your use is low. You'd have to winterize it and insure it and register it and have that huge truck to tow it. Unless you sell it and the truck and rent the boat when you want to. (what I did, by the way).

If you can afford a Lamborghini, does that mean that you have to buy a Lamborghini (my son says yes). I say no, you don't. That way there's money for retirement and to put the kids through college after finding a loophole where the money isn't countable on the FAFSA but still accessable if needed.

In short (too late).....you are the best judge for what's best for YOU. If you decide to keep the Subaru because that's what you decide you want to do, then good. If you decide to sell it and buy a Subaru Baja, fine. If you sell off and put on a trailer hitch and pick up a small trailer, bravo. If you keep both cars and pick up an Aventador, Yay.

You're stuck on this "financial" thing aren't you? Is it a suppressed cry for help? I'm not asking for financial advice....It's a simple to sell or not to sell question which basically comes down to I gotta bring it to my mechanic to see how much it'll cost...I didn't ask anyone to digress on a tangent about "finances." If I were asking that the title would read "To afford or not to afford? That is the question..." As above you see insurance for keeping the Subbie is woth keeping the Subbie..Registration cost is like $30/yr..no taxes on the car...so in total the cost of keeping the car is $130/yr..maintenence is the same, since it dependant on miles. 25K miles a year @5K miles per oil change is gonna be 5 oil changes..probably 3 on Subbie 2 on G. Or vice versa since I do a lot of driving on the weekends...

I've thought about bolting up a hitch and trailer to the G, but that'll cost more than the $130 extra a year just to keep the Subbie, sans fixing her up. When the Subbie does die I just might drive the Infiniti as my daily driver and get a hitch and trailer...but as of right now since the Subbie is still in the picture, the question at hand is "to sell or not to sell?"

Having your own boat is in a class all itself....it's worth to me is a lot more than the cost to keep it...you can't put dollar amount to it...How much dioes it cost to have a kid? I'm sure a kid is worth alot more than they cost..and I last I heard they are freakin' expensive!

True..if you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to buy what the coupon is for...But I WANT a beater car and a "nicer" (better terminology?), more reliable car to enjoy and drive around....is it a crime or "stupid" if you can financially afford it? No. And from what I calculated $130 extra a year to keep the Subbie (or a primary car other than the G) is well "worth" it to me..I work hard to enjoy my life....I don't work to save save save and not enjoy anything I worked so hard for....As I worked thru school and am doing better than my parentsand enjoying the fruits of my labor...I hope and expect my kids to do the same; to do better than me....Whether they do it thru hard work or being savvy...as long as they do better than me...It's aaaalllllllll gooood.

It seems like there's a number of problems with the car that will likely cost more than its value. You are not willing to do the repairs apparently, and I doubt another individual will be willing to buy and do a pile of repairs either. At some point you just junk the thing.

You're stuck on this "financial" thing aren't you? Is it a suppressed cry for help? I'm not asking for financial advice....It's a simple to sell or not to sell question which basically comes down to I gotta bring it to my mechanic to see how much it'll cost...I didn't ask anyone to digress on a tangent about "finances." If I were asking that the title would read "To afford or not to afford? That is the question..."

My wall of text started with an assumption that you were analyzing whether it was worth keeping the Subaru based on financial reasons. I still think that this might be the case, but I continued on with alternatives that were not based on financials. I always analyze the financials but as I talked about, we don't always make our decisions only based on this. I've very often come up with the trailer idea. Heck.....when my father in-law was considering a freaking full sized van because he wanted to be able to put a 4x8 sheet of plywood inside of it, I absolutely recommended the trailer idea. (he hasn't bought a 4x8 anything in 20 years).

So I mentioned that I figure out the financials but don't always make decisions based on them. I own a Lotus. Would that ever make sense financially? Well, compared to owning an Aston Martin or Ferrari (I did consider both), it does. Compared to going without, it doesn't. If your Subaru didn't run at all and if you didn't know how to fix it and a mechanic said that it would cost $4900 to fix it, you'd probably make a financial decision to just sell it as a roller. However, if you didn't have an issue yanking the engine and getting a junkyard engine delivered and dropping it in.....well....there ya go.

This is a much more complicated decision than might first be seen. You like the Suby. You feel when you're driving the Suby that your Infinity is being kept new longer. Well, it is. When you can throw 2x4's into the back of the subie, it's easier than driving to Home Depot.....paying $19 to use their truck. Hauling your stuff home. Maybe take the truck offroading a bit and then returning it and getting your car.

I've gone through this. Heck, I turned over a bunch of cars this year myself. I did the cost analysis and also the hassle analysis. Sometimes the lack of hassle outweighs the cost. It's why we have 2 brand new vehicles right now.

So make your choice based on what YOU think is important.

And yes. Kids are expensive. I can afford them but they are not a good financial move. (One of my sons has been a nasioc member for 4 1/2 years)

You're stuck on this "financial" thing aren't you? Is it a suppressed cry for help? I'm not asking for financial advice....It's a simple to sell or not to sell question which basically comes down to I gotta bring it to my mechanic to see how much it'll cost...I didn't ask anyone to digress on a tangent about "finances." If I were asking that the title would read "To afford or not to afford? That is the question..." As above you see insurance for keeping the Subbie is woth keeping the Subbie..Registration cost is like $30/yr..no taxes on the car...so in total the cost of keeping the car is $130/yr..maintenence is the same, since it dependant on miles. 25K miles a year @5K miles per oil change is gonna be 5 oil changes..probably 3 on Subbie 2 on G. Or vice versa since I do a lot of driving on the weekends...

Then just keep the damn thing. Clearly you're quite adamant about keeping it, so why bother making a wall-o-text asking us what to do?

We can only judge worth in dollars, being complete strangers. I can't judge a cars sentimental value to you.

Then just keep the damn thing. Clearly you're quite adamant about keeping it, so why bother making a wall-o-text asking us what to do?

We can only judge worth in dollars, being complete strangers. I can't judge a cars sentimental value to you.

Certainly you have not read any of the above....I don't have any sentimental value in the car...In a value per dollar standpoint...NOT financial...I'm asking if it's worth keeping the Subbie if it's gonna cost a lot to fix it. And I clearly stated I'm not a fan of adding sentimental value in form of dollar amounts to my car...And how do you assume that I'm so adamant about keeping her when I also stated I'm going to take her to Precision Tuning to see how much it'll cost to fix! I'll go from there..if it's too much..I'll probably sell..if it's not..I'll probably fix...how do you deduce that I'm "adamant about keeping it" from that? Oh b/c you didnt' read anything b/c giving your opinion...And the "wall-o-text" (yeah real ) thing has been used already...2nd post. Oh probably didn't read that either...